


fake flowers begin to wilt in this house my heart had built.

by xanderebooks



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game), Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: AU, Angst, Emetophobia, Fluff, Found Family, Happy Ending, Other, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:35:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29420973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanderebooks/pseuds/xanderebooks
Summary: death has an impact on everyone - cheryl mason is no different. harry mason's death was hard. really hard. but luckily for them, they had a friend to comfort them. a dear three friends, to be specific.
Relationships: Cheryl Mason/Susie
Kudos: 7





	fake flowers begin to wilt in this house my heart had built.

**Author's Note:**

> *hits cheryl and susie with the nonbinary beam*
> 
> takes place in an au where frank never got his hands on the other members of legion, and susie, julie, and joey are childhood friends with cheryl. takes place in the silent hill universe, post silent hill 3.
> 
> semi-inspired by the divergence tome trailer and how there's alternate universes where things change, and everyones' paths can differ.
> 
> tw for vomit and a not-quite graphic vomit scene.

God... How long had it been since... It felt like only yesterday - yesterday, a man followed them. Yesterday, their father died. Yesterday... They almost became the mother of a God. They could still feel the blood, the bile as they vomited up - or was it the bile from the thought, the memory? Or were they struggling to breathe - to hold onto what little they had left?

Yesterday, everything was taken from them.

Yesterday, they were almost dead.

Cheryl couldn't take it, as they let out a gutteral sob. Every emotion hurt - it all felt like a damn truck slamming the breaks. It all hurt too much - too much. It was so long since... So long since they came back from Silent Hill. They were glad they were able to stay with a friend's family after their father's murder, but it just wasn't the same. The mornings weren't the same - they would never be the same. Or at least not for a damn long time. They haven't gotten used to going to get breakfast, and not seeing their father there in the kitchen, to greet them with a smile, and a "good morning, heather."

It was lonely. It was hard. It was scary.

But... they knew they were loved - by so many people. Three people, in particular. And especially one of those three.

If Cheryl knew they were loved, though, why'd it still hurt? Maybe it's the fact Harry would never be there to help them get ready for achievements - for prom, for high school graduation, for... for...

" Cher ! " A voice spoke, a hand gently rubbing on Cheryl's shoulder. " You okay? We were gonna go out to one of the little ma' and pa' diners for lunch, and we wanted to see if you wanted to come. "

Ah. Joey. They thought they looked silly in front of him - they were aware they looked like a deer in headlights. Like they just saw their life flash before their eyes tenfold. Again. Cheryl took a minute to process their surroundings - a hand moving to clench the seat beneath them.

...Bleachers. P.E. class, maybe? You forgot. How long had it been since class started? ...No, ended. It must've just ended, right? Maybe. For sure, especially when they looked at their watch. 1:18 pm. Class must've ended about 10 minutes ago. Cheryl was silent to the offer. Scarily so.

" Is everything okay, Cher? " Joey's voice was hesitant - he was still getting used to calling them the name they wanted. Cheryl... He knew it was weird and unbefitting them, but in that same breath, it was the perfect name for them. Cheryl waited a minute before speaking.

" ...Sorry, Joey, I got, uh... distracted. " Joey knew. Joey knew better than to ask what was wrong. So he gave a light nod. He understood. " Ah... who's driving us? "

" Julie. "

Figures. She could drive, Susie had barely just gotten their learner's permit, and Joey's mom wouldn't let him drive with more than two passengers in his car. So Cheryl nodded. Food... sounded terrible right now, but it was nicer than going through another empty stomached panic attack. The bile bit harder with dry heaves than anything else. It reminded Cheryl of... of...

Cheryl pushed past Joey as fast as their legs could take them, and bolted to the nearest trashcan. Joey understood to stand back, and covered his ears. The sound irritated him, but it hurt him more knowing there wasn't much he could do for his friend outside of offering a hand to hold at the worst moments, and emotional support. Joey knew Cheryl was hurting, so once he saw them lift their head up, he grabbed their bag from where they left it, and ran over, a hand offering a supportive rub on their back.

" Let's go get you some water before we, uh... y'know. Meet up with Julie and Susie... " Joey was considerate - Cheryl nodded. Water sounded good right now. ( they could still feel the stirring. maybe some water would help. ) The both of them made their way out of the gymnasium, and headed to the nearest water fountain. No matter how much they drank, though, Cheryl could still taste the blood. The bile. Truthfully, for just that moment, they wanted to die.

But in that same breath, they can't imagine dying. Harry died and left them, and it left them so sad - so empty. Afraid, even. They didn't want to do that to the people they had left.

" Are you... okay, Cher? "

" ...Yeah. " Though, Cheryl's mouth was full of water. They wanted to speak more, but two other voices called for them. The two seemed to look up in unison, and saw blonde and pink.

" Joey, Cheryl? Hellooooo? " The taller, Julie, called. " We've been waiting for you both! I thought your class ended, like... ten minutes ago? " Cheryl didn't have the heart to say what happened, and their eyes spoke an unspoken pain. A fear, even. Thankfully, Joey had a voice when they didn't.

" Cheryl had a little... accident. Sorry for leaving you both waiting. " He was nice - nicer than his own good. Cheryl would give him a silent nod as thanks. Though, Susie had their eyes on Cheryl, and their own eyes matched theirs / sad, hurt, regretful. Though Susie was more hurt they couldn't be there to comfort Cheryl, but they were glad Joey was able to. But both pairs of eyes held something both longed for - understanding. And Susie smiled.

Susie smiled, and Cheryl could feel their heart soar / it was a sweet smile, oh so saccharine. Cotton candy - just like them. Cheryl tried to match their smile, but it came out a little awkward, a little skittish. Joey and Julie picked up on it, and Julie cleared her throat.

" Are you guys ready to go? " A nod from all three. " Good! Last one gets the trunk. " A joke - and it was audible by her giggle. Cheryl really grew to look up to her over the past few months - they could even say she's almost become a sister to them. They appreciated it - so much. So much. Cheryl didn't have much family left, and the three friends they have...

On the way to Julie's car, they felt a hand brush against theirs, and Cheryl instinctively grabbed it. Brown eyes trailed up the arm, and met that of Susie's eyes. In some ways, the both of them matched. Smiles, Cheryl's awkward, Susie's upbeat - personalities, Cheryl's shy and skittish, Susie's outgoing. They matched - perhaps even down to their hearts.

" Do you need a nap in the car? You can use my shoulder as a pillow! " An offer that meant a lot to Cheryl. Julie and Joey by then were at the car, and from Julie came a teasing hum of a wedding march.

" Come on you love birds, it's time for lunch! Hell, we can even skip the rest of the day if y'all like. " Sounds like a plan. A perfect plan, really, to take Cheryl's mind off things. The three nodded again, and found their places in a car. Today was Susie's turn with the music, and Cheryl found themself falling asleep to the dull sound of the acoustic guitar. Of course, they took up Susie's offer of using their shoulder as a pillow.

Maybe... maybe they were happier this way. Maybe they've learned found family matters so much.


End file.
